New Tape: Some See Less Menacing Bin Laden

April 24, 2006 -- AL QAEDA

Some See Less Menacing Bin Laden

Tapes Used to Precede Action, but Now May Show Him 'Reduced to Being a Commentator on Islamic News' (ABC News)

Sources: Al Suri Had "Important Info" About Bin Laden, Al Zawahri

Marwan al Suri, the al Qaeda operative who was killed in a gun battle with Pakistani security forces last week, had "important information" about al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden and his deputy Ayman al Zawahri, Pakistani security sources told al Hayat newspaper. The sources said the information could've led to revealing the al Qaeda leaders' locations or at least to how they communicate with the supporters in Afghanistan, the tribal areas and the rest of the world. (Al Hayat)

Al Qaeda Mystery Man Described in Documents

When Mohamedou Ould Slahi's name appeared on the list released last week of Guantanamo Bay detainees, the Pentagon was officially confirming that one of Al Qaeda's most mysterious figures had been in custody since late 2001. (LA Times)

IRAN

Iran's President Recruits Terror Master

Iran's president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, attended a meeting in Syria earlier this year with one of the world's most wanted terrorists, according to intelligence experts and a former national security official in Washington. (Sunday Times)

BANGLADESH

Govt Confirms US Citizen's Deportation

A CIA plane might have been used in the task. (The Daily Star - Bangladesh)

Editorial: The Strange Disappearance

Ever since Ehsanul Islam Sadequee, a US citizen of Bangladeshi origin, was picked up from the capital by plainclothesmen and whisked away to USA reportedly by FBI a few questions have been haunting the minds of the people. (The Daily Star - Bangladesh)

YEMEN

Yemeni Al Qaeda Convict Who Broke out of Prison Surrenders to Authorities

A Yemeni member of al Qaeda, one of 23 who escaped from a prison here earlier this year, has surrendered to authorities, security officials said Sunday. (AP)

U.S.

Moves Signal Tighter Secrecy within C.I.A

The crackdown on leaks at the Central Intelligence Agency that led to the dismissal of a veteran intelligence officer last week included a highly unusual polygraph examination for the agency's independent watchdog, Inspector General John L. Helgerson, intelligence officials with knowledge of the investigation said Sunday. (NY Times)

FBI Says Two Atlanta-Area Men Plotted Attacks

A 21-year-old Georgia Tech student and another man traveled to Canada to meet with Islamic extremists to discuss ''strategic locations in the United States suitable for a terrorist strike,'' according to an affidavit made public Friday. (AP)

Terror Case May Offer Clues Into Police Use Of Informants

The trial of a Pakistani immigrant on charges that he plotted to bomb the Herald Square subway station in 2004 is likely to provide the most detailed picture to date of how the New York Police Department uses informants in and around the city's mosques. (NY Times)

SUDAN

Sudan Allegedly Recruited Rebels in Darfur

Sudan's security forces helped recruit rebels, including child soldiers, from refugee camps in the country's western Darfur region for a revolt in neighboring Chad, rebel prisoners told African Union investigators. (Reuters)

NEPAL

Police Struggle to Enforce Curfew in Nepal's Capital

Opposition Calls for Protests Against King to Continue (Washington Post)

MOUSSAOUI TRIAL

Jurors to Decide Moussaoui's Fate

Jurors in the trial of al-Qaeda plotter Zacarias Moussaoui are set to hear the final legal arguments before adjourning to decide whether he will live or die. (BBC)

SAUDI ARABIA

Riyadh Mosques to be Electronically Monitored

Mosques in the Saudi capital Riyadh are going to be electronically monitored, the Saudi Islamic affairs minister Saleh al Sheikh announced. Al Sheikh said this will allow his ministry to know what's going on in the mosques every day. This is the first step of a plan that will expand electronic monitoring to all of Saudi Arabia's mosques. (Al Hayat)

IRAQ NEWS

7 Car Bombs Explode in Baghdad, Killing 6

Seven car bombs exploded across the capital Monday, killing at least six people and wounding dozens, as politicians met to try to finalize a new Cabinet. Police discovered the bodies of 20 Iraqis - apparent victims of sectarian killings the United States hopes the new government can end. (AP)

Inspectors Find More Torture at Iraqi Jails

Top General's Pledge to Protect Prisoners 'Not Being Followed' (Washington Post)

Iraq War Contractors Ordered To End Abuses

Tribune series detailed undocumented pipeline of foreign workers into Iraq, and abuses perpetrated along the way. (Chicago Tribune)

Trial Hears 'Saddam Phone Call'

Prosecutors at Saddam Hussein's trial have played a recording said to be of a phone call in which Saddam discussed a crackdown on Shia with a co-defendant. (BBC)

Bush Ignored Intelligence on Iraqi Weapons, Says Ex-CIA Officer

Former CIA official said that the White House ignored intelligence showing there were no weapons of mass destruction. (The Guardian)

ANALYSIS & OPINION

Iraq's Next Premier: Spot the Difference

Many in Iraq and the rest of the Arab world breathed a sigh of relief when it was announced that Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari would step down and be replaced by his right-hand-man, Jawad al-Maliki. (Asia Times)

Mideast 'Axis' Forms Against West

Iran is forging closer ties with countries and groups in the Middle East that share its hostility toward the US and Israel. (Christian Science Monitor)

The Madness of Bombing Iran

As our leaders soften us up for a new war, the arguments we can't afford to ignore. (The Times)

The War the World Forgot

The week I spent as Unicef's guest in the Democratic Republic of the Congo was one of the most shocking of my life. (The Guardian)

Standing Behind the Despot on the Wrong Side of History

Only democracy can end the crisis in Nepal, but the US, EU and India back the king and his attempts to crush the Maoist uprising. (The Guardian)

Even a Former Nixon Henchman Laments Loss of Trust in White House's War on Terror

Donald Santarelli, a senior Justice department official in the Nixon administration, among many other heavyweight positions through the years, is very old school. (Congressional Quarterly)

The Insider Daily Investigative Report (DIR) is a summary of major news articles and broadcasts relating to investigative news, including international terrorism and developments in Iraq. The DIR is edited daily from foreign and U.S. sources by Chris Isham, Hoda Osman and Ellen Gustafson of the ABC News Investigative Unit. The views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ABCNEWS.